Ironing table



Dec. l5, 1953 H. E. Hom-MAN, JR

IRONING TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 19 1950 Dec.- 15, 1953 H. E. HORTMAN, JR

IRONING TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed DeC. 19 1950 Patented Dec. l15,

IRONING TABLE Harvey E. Hcrtman, Jr., Southampton, Pa., assignor to Proctor Electric Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 19, 1950, Serial No. 201,623

4 Claims.

This invention relates to adjustable and collapsible ironing tables and more particularly to the type employing pivotally-interconnected crossed legs.

A main object of this invention is to provide a novel height adjustment mechanism.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide an improved ironing table of this type which may be adjusted to various heights but will not completely collapse during use, and which may be completely collapsed merely by tilting the table upward from its normal position of use While collapsing the legs toward the table top.

A more specic object of the invention is to provide such an ironing table wherein one of the supporting legs is connected to the table top by a fixed pivot connection while the other supporting leg is connected to the top by a sliding pivot connection, enabling diierent height adjustments and complete collapse of the table, and wherein a gravity-operable stop means is provided to prevent complete collapse of the ironing table when it is set up for use, said stop means permitting collapse of the table when caused to gravitate to an inoperative position.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the accompanying disclosure.

The invention may be fully understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, on relatively small scale, of the ironing table set up for use;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom view showing the adjusting mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing the manner in which complete collapse of the ironing table is prevented during use;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Figs. '7 and 8 are detail views showing the action which takes place during collapse of the ironing table; and

Fig, 9 is a side elevational view of an ironing table in the completely collapsed condition.

Referring first to Fig. l, the ironing table comprises a top it and crossed legs II and I2 pivotally interconnected at I3. Preferably the leg ii comprises a single elongate member with a transverse ,foot lf3, while the leg I2 comprises a Vvpair of parallel elongate members between which the leg Ii extends and which are provided with a transverse foot l5. The ironing table is preferably of all metal construction, and the SuppQlting legs and their transverse feet are preferably of tubular form.

The upper end of leg il is connected to the table top I by means of a fixed pivot connection comprising a transverse pin I6 fastened to said leg, for example by being welded thereto, and bearing brackets Il depending from the table top and rotatably supporting the pin I6, The upper end of leg I2 is connected to the table top I U by means of a sliding pivot connection comprising a transverse pin i8 secured to said leg, and a slotted retaining guide I9 secured to the table top and along which the pin I8 is slidable.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 6, while the present invention is not concerned with the specic structure of the table tcp ID, the construction thereof may be as shown, comprising a at surface plate 2) secured to a supporting and rigidifying member 2i shaped in cross section as clearly shown yin Figs. 4 and 6. The table top is preferably provided with a plurality of transverse brace members, two of which are shown at 22 and v23, these serving to support the slotted retaining guide I9.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the retaining guide I9 is provided at its end portions with cam slots 24 and 25 through which extend xed transverse pins 26 and 2l which are carried respectively by the transverse brace members 22 and 2 3. The latter members are formed to provide channel portions 28 and 29 within which the pins set. By virtue of the slots 24 and 25, the retaining guide I9 is movable to a' limited extent downward and toward the left, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5, but it is retained in its normal position by a helical tension spring 30 having one end secured t0 the retaining guide I9 at 3| and having its other end secured to a lug 32 depending from the underside of the table top. The retaining guide I9 is prevented from side sway, being constrained to the abovementioned slight movement in a vertical plane by means of inverted U-shaped guides 33 and 34 which are apertured to accommodate the pins 26 and 2. Cam slots 2li and 25 are identical and comprise upper portions 24a andl 25a, respectively, of approximately 45 slope and lower portions Zlib and 25h, respectively, of rather low slope of approximately 18, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

Adjacent to the retaining guide i9, there is provided a stationary rack member 35 fixedly secured to the table top and having recesses or notches 36 to receive the sliding pivot pin I8 of leg I2. When the pin I8 is seated in any one of the recesses 36, the ironing table is adjusted to a particular height. Whenever it is desired to chage the adjustment, the retaining guide I9 is moved downwardly by means of a manually operable member 31. The latter is in the form of a transverse pin disposed in a channel portion 38 of the tranverse brace member 22, and having an outwardly extending handle portion 39 and an inner crank portion 40. The crank portion engages a recess 4I in the retaining guide I9. Rotation of the crank member 31 through its handle portion 39 causes movement of the retaining guide I9 downward and to the left against the action of its spring 3S, thus causing removal of pin I8 from the rack member 35 and permitting,r the pin I8 to slide in the slot I9a. Release of the crank member S1 causes return of the retaining guide I9 to its normal position by the spring 39, thus causing pin I8 to seat in a different recess of the rack member 35 to maintain the new adjustment.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 slide ways 46 and 41 are formed as raised area on two of the ribs of the rigidifying member 2I to provide bearing surface for pin I8 during sliding movement thereof. Adjacent the ends of these slide ways 46 and 41 are formed detent buttons 48 and 49 which serve to hold the legs in their collapsed position as shown in Fig. 8. The detent buttons require that a nite amount of work be done in extending spring 39 to set the table into its operative position. The table can be set up by either: (a) manipulating the manual member 31 thus forcing the sliding pivot pin iS down so that it can freely pass the detent button, or (b) exerting a force between leg II and the table top I to move guide i9 down against the action of spring 3U and over buttons d8 and 49 onto the slide ways 46 and 41. The mechanical advantage offered by the leg necessitates only a moderate amount of force to have the sliding pivot pin I8 move the guide I9 `to free itself of the detent. From the slide ways pin I9 travels down a ramp 56 and into one of the notches 36 depending on where the particular setting up motion is stopped.

During adjustment of the ironing table toward its lowermost height, the pin I8 moves in the direction away from the xed pivot pin I6 (Fig. l) or toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 5, C

and were it not for the feature now to be described, there would be danger of unintentional complete collapse of the ironing table during adjustment thereof if the pin I happened to move beyond the recesses of the rack member 34. To prevent this, there is provided a gravity stop member 5I pivotally connected at 52 to the end portion of the rack member S5 and adapted to gravitate against a stop surface 50a. formed on the ramp member 59. As may be seen in Fig. 5, this stop member prevents the pin I8 from moving beyond a predetermined point, thus preventing complete collapse of the table.

When it is desired to collapse the table, the retaining guide I9 is moved to permit freedom of pin I8, as above described, and the table is tilted upwardly from its position of use, permitting the gravity stop member 5l to gravitate to an inoperative position as shown in Fig. '1. Then, the pin i8 is free to move in slot I9@ sufciently to permit complete collapse of the table. Fig. 8 shows the pin i8 in the position to which it moves to effect complete collapse of the table, while Fig. 9 shows the ironing table completely collapsed in a generally vertical position.

As may be clearly seen in Figs. 5 and '1, the slot I9a is formed to provide an offset 55 thus dividing the slot into a right-hand portion 56 disposed below the notches 36 and a left-hand portion 51 disposed slightly above the plane of the right-hand portion. It will be noted that when pin I3 bears against slide ways 46 and 41 that guide I9 is positioned through section 51 of slot I9a so that pins 26 and 21 are in the upper high slope portions 24a and 25a of the cam slots 24 and 25 and also that said pins are in the high slope portions during adjustment of the legs as in Fig. 5. Further these pins are in the low slope portions 24h and 25h when the table is in its operative position as shown in Fig. 3. The purpose of the cam slot configuration and offset in guide I9 is to permit free movement of the sliding pivot pin when desired. When moving the pivot pin I8 to or from its fully retracted or detent position and when moving from one operative height to another (one notch to another) the guide bar can move freely in the areas 24a and 25a of the cam slots and the sliding pivot pin is therefore unrestrained. The low slope areas 24o and 25h of the cam slots cooperating with pins 25 and 21 when the pivot pin is seated in one of the notched positions will not permit the weight of the legs acting through the sliding hinge pin to lower the guide I9. Thus merely lifting the table top will not allow the legs to move out of the particular notched position into some other operative height.

From the above description, it will be seen that the invention provides novel collapse-preventing means in an adjustable ironing table, which means is automatically rendered operative when the table is set up for use and is rendered inoperative when the table is tilted upwardly toward a vertical position. Moreover, it will be seen that the device is of simple construction and may be easily manufactured at relatively low cost.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but contemplates such modifications and other embodiments as may occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a table top, a pair of pivotally interconnected crossed legs providing an adjustable and collapsible support structure for said top, a xed pivot connection between said top and the upper end of one of said legs, a sliding pivot connection between said top and the upper end of the other leg, manually controllable latch means for retaining the sliding pivot in diiferent positions to provide different height adjustments of the table, and means for limiting the movement of he sliding pivot in the direction away from said fixed pivot to prevent collapse of the table while in use, said limiting means comprising a gravityactuated stop member which gravitates to an operative position in the path of movement of said sliding pivot when the table is set up for use and which gravitates to an inoperative position out of the path of movement of said sliding pivot when the table is tilted upwardly.

2. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a table top, a pair of pivotally interconnected crossed legs providing an adjustable and collapsible support structure for said top, a fixed transverse pivot pin connection between said top and the upper end of one of said legs, a transverse pivot pin connected to the upper end of the other leg, retaining guide means on said top slidably supporting the last-mentioned pivot pin, manually controllable latch means for retaining the sliding pivot pin in different positions to provide diierent height adjustments of the table, and means for limiting the movement of the slidable pivot pin in the direction away from said fixed pivot pin to prevent collapse of the table while in use, said limiting means comprising a gravity-actuated stop member which gravitates to an operative position in the path of movement of said sliding pivot when the table is set up for use and which gravitates to an inoperative position out of the path of movement of said sliding pivot when the table is tilted up- Wardly.

3. An ironing table according to claim 2, wherein said table top is provided with transverse braces, and said guide means extends between two of said braces and is secured thereto.

4. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a table top, a pair of pivotally interconnected crossed legs providing an adjustable and collapsible support structure for said top, a fixed pivot connection between said top and the upper end of one of said legs, a sliding pivot connection between said top and the upper end of the other leg, manually controllable latch means for retaining the sliding pivot in dierent positions to provide different height adjustments of the table, and means between said top and said other leg and in the path of movement of the sliding pivot for limiting the movement of the sliding pivot in the direction away from said xed pivot to prevent collapse of the table while in use, said limiting means comprising a stop member and means mounting said stop member for gravitational movement to an operative position in the path of movement of said sliding pivot when the table is set up for use, said stop member being movable to an inoperative position out of the path of movement of said sliding pivot.

HARVEY E. HORTMAN, JR.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 223,404 St. Clair Jan. 6, 1880 769,313 Higgs Sept. 6, 1904 1,121,744 McLaughlin Dec. 22, 1914 

